The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-04-19
RAILROADS AS CIVILIZERS.

of Augusta, Ga, Major Cummings
was called upon to respond to the toast,
The Railroads, and spoke as follows:
81 assure YOU that you invite me to
launch my thoughts in unfamiliar
channels. This may seem strange to
some persons, who may be aware of
the fact that for number of years /
have had the honor to represent as
general counsel one of the oldest rail
road corporations in the world, one,
which, l am proud to say, is distin
guished alike for financial success and
heightened administration. But my
place In the affairs of this substantial
and most respectable old city of
Georgia has been to fight in the courts
the unequal battles. which it in com.
mon with other railroad corporations,
has to wage with the world, the flesh
and the devil. In the conduct of that
warfare | have long since learned to
adopt most humble tone. You in
wife me to speak in terms of laudation
OF railroads, when l have learned the
habit of supplication and the tone of
depreciation and entreaty. You in
wife me to chant paans, when | have
made il practice to sing exceedingly
small. Just imsgine a railroad
lawyer in country court defending
his company against the awful charge
OF having injured the spine of good
citizen, who had condescended 10
travel on its train-one of those rail-
road spines that goes all to pieces if
the train starts ever so gently without
blowing a whistle and ringing a bell,
but which can jog along for twenty
years on wagon without springs and
on a bucking mule-just imagine that
lawyer having no more sense than to
speak grandiloquently and arrogant. (,
of the great civilizer. How the jury
would answer from their honest hearts
and liberal minds, Great civilizer in
need! Great robber, great tyrant,
great opprossor of the dear people !
And how they would emphasize those
thoughts in verdict. So TO, that in
a somewhat extensive experience, in
speaking about railroads, | have had
precious little to say about great
civilizers. Indeed, my experience has
taught me to think less of the rail-
roads strong arms than of It's supple
knees. am much more familiar with
the accents Of prayer than tie voice
of praise.
There is a view of railroads and
civilization which is obvious to all,
the great difference between the rail
road when it first, goes into business
as civi,izer, and when it has become
fully established in business. OF all
newcomers, who ever visit COM
munity, your new railroad is the most
welcome. The people lavish their
money upon it, They invite it to eu-
ter and possess their fertile fields.
They make their lordly forests pay its
tribute. ley even suffer it to make
its highway through the very gardens
of flowers tended by their wives and
daughters, and to fume and to'shriek
at the very doors of the homes of
their children. 1t is welcome rs a
bringer of wealth and intelligence
as the great civilizer. But once firmly
established among them, the stranger
so royalty welcomed, becomes the
hated and the cutcast of all. This
unvarying progression of the railroad
from high favor to deep hatred finds,
as far as know, no parallel elsewhere
in nature or in art. In nature, light
of day is followed by the darkness
of the night, but the stars for tie
most part make riffs in the darkness.
In the history of humanity youth is
swallowed up by age, but age may
have..s Its accompaniment of respect
and honor. The queen of love and
beauty may lose her charms and be de-
serted by her worshippers, but she is
not transformed from a throne to a